Social-Emotional Writing Prompts, Lessons and Learning Goals:

Social-Emotional Writing Learning Goals:

The social-emotional learning goals for this lesson are to help students develop self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. The writing prompts and activities are designed to have students reflect on their values, goals, emotions, and experiences. They support students in expressing themselves, finding their voice, showing courage and empathy, and making thoughtful choices. Developing these SEL competencies will support students' overall wellbeing and success in school and life.

SEL Writng Lesson Objectives Overview:

- Students will engage in daily journaling to express their thoughts, feelings, and experiences. This supports self-awareness and self-management.

- Students will conduct interviews and write biographies to build social awareness and relationship skills by learning about others. 

- Persuasive, narrative, and descriptive writing prompts help students expand self-awareness as they write about goals, challenges, and choices.

- Summarizing texts and writing reviews encourage responsible decision making as students carefully consider information and form opinions. 

- Writing letters and proposing solutions to issues require students to demonstrate social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

- Creative writing promotes self-awareness as students draw from their unique voices, passions, and imaginations. 

- Providing constructive feedback throughout the writing process helps students learn relationship skills and responsible decision making.

The variety of writing prompts and scaffolded activities allow students to practice articulating ideas while developing critical SEL competencies. Students will build confidence in their writing abilities while becoming more socially and emotionally intelligent.

Writing Prompts

1. Describe your perfect day. Include where you would go, who you would see, what you would do, eat, etc. Be as descriptive as possible.

2. If you could switch places with anyone real or fictional for a day, who would it be and why? Describe what you would do in their shoes. 

3. Write about a time you helped someone in need. What was the situation? What actions did you take? How did you and the other person feel?

4. Imagine you find a magic object that allows you to travel in time. What time period would you visit and why? Describe your adventures.

5. What is the most courageous thing you have done? What gave you the courage to do it? How did it turn out? What did you learn?

6. Write a story titled "The Mystery of the Missing Lunch." Include characters, setting, plot, and a resolution.  

7. If you could improve one thing about your school, community, or the world, what would it be and why? How would you go about making this change?

8. Persuade someone why your favorite book is worth reading. Give compelling reasons and details to support your opinion. 

9. Describe three goals you have set for yourself this year. Why are they important to you? What steps will you take to complete them?

10. Imagine you are shipwrecked on a deserted island. Describe where you are, how you feel, what steps you take to survive, and your rescue.

Writing Activities

- Keep a journal - Write daily entries about thoughts, feelings, questions, ideas

- Freewrite about a topic for 10 minutes without stopping

- Interview someone and write up questions/answers 

- Write a movie or product review with your opinion backed up with reasons

- Research an issue and write a persuasive essay supporting your position  

- Produce a short story, poem, skit, comic strip, song or other creative writing

- Summarize the key details after reading something new

- Write a formal letter requesting something or expressing appreciation

- Create a newsletter, brochure, poster or flyer to inform about an event or topic

Scoring Rubric

1. Ideas - main theme, rich details, originality

2. Organization - logical sequence, transitions between ideas

3. Voice - writer's personality and passion comes through

4. Word Choice - descriptive, engaging, varied vocabulary

5. Sentence Fluency - varied lengths and patterns, flows well

6. Conventions - spelling, grammar, punctuation, paragraphs

7. Social-Emotional - expresses empathy, gratitude, goals, courage

8. Executive Function - planning, organizing, focusing to complete

9. Work Ethic - perseveres through challenges, revises and edits

10 More Writing Prompts

1. Write about your ideal day. What would you do from the time you wake up until bedtime?


2. Describe your favorite place to visit. It could be a relative's house, a park, a restaurant, etc. Explain what you like about it.




3. If you could have any superpower, what would you choose and why? How would you use this superpower?




4. Write a story about finding something mysterious in your backyard. What do you find? Where did it come from? What happens next?




5. What is your favorite holiday? Describe what you enjoy most about celebrating this holiday.




6. Imagine you wake up one morning with the ability to become invisible. What would you do with this power? Where would you go? What mischief would you get into?




7. If you could invent something that would make life easier, what would you invent? Describe how it works and why it would help people.




8. Write about a memorable experience you had with one of your friends. What made it memorable? What did you learn?




9. Imagine you find a magic lamp and a genie grants you three wishes. What would you wish for and why?




10. What is your biggest accomplishment so far in life? Describe how you achieved it.




Writing Activities




- Keep a daily journal or diary. Have students write at least one entry per day about their thoughts, feelings, or daily experiences.




- Do freewriting exercises. Have students write freely about a topic without stopping for at least 5 minutes. This helps generate ideas.




- Conduct interviews. Have students interview family members about their childhood or topics of interest and write a biography or report.




- Write movie or book reviews. Have students write a review of a book they've recently read or movie they've seen.




- Create a class newspaper. Have students contribute short stories, articles, opinion pieces, comics, etc on topics of interest.




- Write letters. Have students write a formal letter to a family member, friend, or company about a topic they've learned about.




- Do creative writing exercises like composing a short story, poem, skit, etc. Provide prompts to spark ideas.




- Practice taking notes and summarizing. Provide short texts and have students take notes or summarize the key information.